


A Joke

by angeru_hatake



Category: 60일 지정생존자 | Designated Survivor: 60 Days (TV 2019)
Genre: F/M, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Psychological Torture, Rape/Non-con Elements, Threesome - M/M/M, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:20:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27544489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angeru_hatake/pseuds/angeru_hatake
Summary: Set 5 years after the canon event on the drama.Cha Youngjin was kidnapped. He was kept and tortured. The kidnapper did not even ask for anything. They said they want him broken. He would be broken for a great purpose.Cha Youngjin was scared, REALLY scared for the first time in his life. He didn't know what to do. He didn't have any plans. He wanted the pain to stop but it won't. He tried to keep himself together, to keep his sanity.But he waited and waited. He waited too long and the pain was too unbearable. He started to feel himself slipped away.
Relationships: Cha Young Jin & Kim Nam Wook, Cha Young Jin/Original Male Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is my first (hopefully!) contribution to this great drama which has too little attention. There will be lots of graphic scenes, please be aware! If this is not your cup of tea, please leave it alone.. But if you think you want to see our Secretary Cha beaten and bloody, I welcome you to come in!  
> This is not beta'd. All the mistakes are mine!  
> Now without further due, ENJOY~

Being the president's chief of secretary is not a new thing for Cha Young Jin. 5 years ago before the terror attack of the national assembly hall, he was already one of the senior staff. After the bombing and he was appointed as the chief though, it morphed into quite a ride with the acting president Park. It was not an unpleasant ride, to be honest, as he found a new king he swore his life to. 

During the next term, he and some other blue house staff decided to take a break and walk on their own paths. Actually, it convinced him even more that he could and should make Park Mujin the next president of Korea. So after two years, he asked his team to gather and started the independent party of Park Mujin. Yes, the election was not too hard. People still remembered what acting president Park did on that dreadful 60 days and winning people's hearts was not too difficult. 

Once again, they entered the Blue House. Therefore, Youngjin was not too surprised when his life became a rollercoaster ride once again. It was mostly among 'very few' _stubborn_ decisions from President Park, a little flirting here and there with Jung Soojung, some small bickering with Kim Namwook and more basketball games. He enjoyed his life so far, even when there came a threat letter to his apartment mailbox, he just shrugged it off. Who won't get a threat letter once in a while when they worked as the president's chief of secretary?

That very next day, he regretted that decision.

He was walking back from the convenience store near his apartment to get some cans of beer when someone bumped into his left shoulder. He reflexively looked back to maybe give a displeased look but before he could do it, someone else put an arm around his right shoulder. Then came a short deep sting in his right arm. Youngjin pulled back immediately just to feel his head spinning right after.

"Who are-" Before he even finished his question, his vision blurred so much he closed his eyes and started to move away.

_This is not good._

"Min joon-ah, you are too drunk! Why are you still buying beer? Let's go home." The stranger took a step toward him. Youngjin was still trying to stand on his feet. He held his head and tried to walk away. That was a wrong move. He didn't even realize he had fallen to the ground if not for the stranger that picked him up.

"Let go." He breathed. The stranger held him up with his arms and started to drag him. He found himself suddenly in front of a taxi door and was shoved inside without much effort. Now his heart was thumping so hard. He knew something went very wrong but he could not even control himself. Was he drugged? That man must inject him with something when they bumped. Youngjin groaned. The last thing he remembered was the light from the convenience store he left earlier.

Then everything went black.

…

Jung Soojung glanced at her phone for the tenth time for the last 5 minutes. She could not quite place the weird feelings in her heart. Youngjin said he would call at 11.30. That was 18 minutes ago.

_Maybe he was asleep? Or maybe he forgot?_

Soojung shook her head and glanced at her phone again.

_No._

This was Cha Youngjin. _The_ Cha Youngjin. He would never not keep his own promises. She looked at her phone again and decided to dial the number.

"The number you dialed cannot be reached at the moment. Please try again or leave-."

Soojung ended the call and tried again. Still the same message. This is impossible. Youngjin _never_ kept his phone off.

She scrolled and dialed a number.

"Hello?" A deep voice answered.

"Hello? Namwook-sshi?"

"Oh, Soojung-sshi. What can I help? Why are you calling so late? Did something happen to the President?"

"Oh, no. It's not about the President. It's.. uh.." She paused for a while. Was she being too worried? Maybe nothing happened at all? Maybe it was just herself being unreasonable?

"Yes? What is it, then?" Namwook sensed the worried tone in her voice and turned off his TV.

"It's probably nothing, but.. Youngjin-sshi told me he would call me half an hour ago, he didn't and right now his phone is off. I can't reach him."

Namwook rubbed his face. Of course he would be happy if these two ignorant friends of his eventually became a couple. But that was like 5 years ago when they first met and nothing happened until now. Yes, he had given up on her long ago, but when your friend's _*some_ called you in the middle of a night, saying both of you were supposed to have a phone date and then she called you instead telling you he could not be reached, what the hell should you do with this situation?

_I am Kim Namwook. The best person who can read situations and answer difficult questions in the whole Blue House._ He took a short breath.

"Are you sure he is not just asleep? Maybe-"

"You know he won't break his own promises."

_Right._

"And he won't keep his phone off."

_That is also true._

"Can you, can you help me to check on his apartment?" Soojung asked carefully. She was not even sure she could make such a request in the middle of a night. Namwook and Youngjin actually lived in the same apartment complex, right beside one another. When both of them found that out, it became their bickering topic for two days straight.

"Sure. I will check on him." Namwook got up from his sofa.

"Will get back to you soon."

"Thank you so much, Namwook-sshi. I am so sorry to bother you."

"It's okay Soojung-sshi. I just hope it's nothing. I will smack his head for you if he is really asleep." Namwook could hear Soojung's soft giggle. He was glad Soojung was not too nervous anymore.

"I hope so too."

…

On the way down from his apartment unit, Namwook suddenly felt uneasy. Did something really happen? He knew Youngjin would never turn his phone off. He knew it was part of the protocol to be available 24/7 for most part of the year.

Namwook, on the other hand, had failed to do so three times this year. It made Youngjin mad every single time. The last time it happened, he almost made a serious problem for President Park. That was when he swore not to take this matter lightly anymore.

This was why he hoped Youngjin was just asleep and forgot to charge his phone. Because he would never do it, especially at night.

…

"Secretary Cha. Secretary Cha!" Namwook already pressed the bell some times and now he began to feel the beating on his heart getting faster. He banged into the door. Good thing this apartment complex has thick walls. If not, maybe he would be kicked out by now.

"I'm coming in." Yes, he knew Youngjin's door passcode. That story included the latter being so wasted at the after party the night they won, and Namwook was the one given the task to get Youngjin home by no other than the newly elected President. _'You lived in the same complex anyway.'_ they said. If it is not for his loyalty to President Park, he would say it was a power abuse. Definitely a power abuse.

How he was thankful for that right now. Namwook entered the apartment. Only the soft sound of the TV could be heard. He checked every room. None. He noticed a small box of pizza on the kitchen counter. It was still warm.

"Where are you?" Namwook whispered to himself. He dialed Youngjin number again. Still off. 

Then, he decided to come down to the convenience store at the front of the complex. Maybe he needed to buy something for the pizza.

…

_Not here, too._ He fidgeted with his phone after he went out of the store.

_Should I tell the President? No, that's not good. Park Sookyo? Or maybe Chief Kang Daehan?_

His finger stopped at Chief Kang's number. He was the best choice right now. Sookyo would only make everyone panic even more.

…

"I will check it and get back to you right away." Chief Kang ended their call.

Namwook decided to sit in front of the convenience store. He let his head rest on the plastic chair when he spotted something. _CCTV_.

He went back inside the store.

"Hello. I'm sorry to bother you." Namwook showed his phone to one of the store clerks.

"Did you see someone like him tonight?" He showed her a picture of Youngjin. The clerk shook her head, not sure. Namwook sighed. Just before he turned around, the other clerk said,

"Is that the guy who was drunk earlier?" Namwook turned to him and showed the picture again.

"Did you see him? Was it really him?"

"Uh I think so. I remembered him because I think it was quite strange. You see, when he bought his beers, he didn't seem to be too drunk but after he went out, he couldn't even stand up on his feet. So his friends helped him into a taxi and they went away." At that, Namwook felt his heart just drop.

_Friends._

"Can I see the CCTV?" Namwook asked. The clerk smiled nervously.

After convincing the young man he would not get in any trouble for showing it to him and that Namwook was with the government, finally he was brought to the back office. The young clerk rewinded the CCTV around an hour back. In one CCTV inside the store he could see Youngjin paying for the beers. He went out of the store and the CCTV changed into the one outside the store.

Right then, his phone rang.

"Hello? Yes, Chief Kang?"

"His last known location was-"

"A convenience store outside our apartment complex." Namwook finished the sentence.

"Yes. How do you know?"

"Chief Kang, we got a serious problem."

…

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *some 썸 means to have a fling. So mostly it include two people who know that their relationship is more than friends but neither wants to make a move forward so they just flirt or joke around without anything serious. If you want to know more, maybe you can try to listen to 'Some by Soyu & JunggiGo'.
> 
> Thank you for reading the first chapter! Hopefully I can upload regularly~ *fingers cross*


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes the second chapter. There is still no warning in this chapter except for some curse words.  
> Once again, as the chapter goes by, the warning will be added later on.  
> I do hope you guys enjoy the story!

The first thing that he noticed was the cold air. Cha Youngjin tried to shift his body to a more comfortable position when he noticed the second thing: he was laying on a hard concrete, not his bed or sofa. He tried to open his eyes when a sudden wave of pain ran through his head. Youngjin groaned. He felt the tug from his shoulders and a second later all the memories came back.

_Shit._

He cursed in his mind and tried to steady himself. Youngjin finally opened his eyes. The pain was still there on the back of his head and basically all over his body, probably because he was laying in a bad position. He was in a kind of basement. The only source of light was from a gap of a small air ventilator which was covered with a wooden plank.

_It's morning already._

He shifted slightly. Dusty concrete, a table and a chair a few feet from him, and some chains hanging from the ceiling. No one around. Seems like he was alone. Yet.

Youngjin took a deep breath.

Then, he put his attention back to himself. His hands were bound in his back. His feet too. The only pain he felt on his head was dull and there was no visible open wound on his body that he could see. His shoulders screamed but they were in place.

Good, so far. Well, 'good' as in this situation.

Next, he remembered the Blue House and the President. Were they aware of him being missing? Were they looking for him? This would surely bring some bad news for the president. Would it affect his approval rating for this month?

_This will take lots of reports to do._

Youngjin almost sneered to himself. Being where he is right now and the thing he thought about was the reports and the ratings.

As he tried to sit, the door suddenly flung open. Youngjin flinched. He directed his attention to the door.

"Oh, are you awake already? I thought I would surprise you. Did I surprise you?" A man, probably in his mid 40, walked inside. He saw Youngjin and sat on the chair.

_Expensive suit and shoes. Why? Why would someone like him-_

There are three other men came in.

_Outnumbered._

"You surely want to know them. They will care for you from now on." That man must have caught him scanning them. Youngjin kept his mouth shut.

"Hm. Silent treatment. That must be the protocol. Is there any protocol for this?" Up until now Youngjin did not really pay attention to the man's face, he was busy thinking and making plans in his mind.

Then, came the first blow.

Youngjin was down on his side again. He groaned involuntarily after he was hit, with a metal pipe probably, on the neck by one of the men standing around them.

"Focus on me." He was yanked up on his knees. 

That really hurt.

"Don't you want to know why I took you?" Now all his focus was on this man with an expensive suit in front of him.

That's when Youngjin realized something. This man was smiling the whole time. A _very_ sickening smile. He knew people, and he knew _bad_ people. But this was something you did not get to see everyday. A kind of person who, just from his gaze alone, you knew was dangerous.

That man inched closer. Youngjin tried not to flinch away. He was under a strong grip by the other man anyway. He was not going anywhere.

"What if I tell you I don't need ransom or information at all." He was now right in front of Youngjin's face. He felt a hand touching his ear, running down his jaw and it stopped on his chin. His face was tilted up.

"I want to break you." He whispered.

"I want to break you to the point where you won't be able to fix yourself. Forever."

For the first time in his life, Youngjin felt scared. Hell, he was terrified. He never knew he was capable of feeling like this. And yet now he focused all his mind to stop himself from shuddering in front of this sick man.

He knew in his mind, there was a possibility he would not survive this. But he would not go down without a fight either.

Youngjin clenched his fists.

_ Definitely. _

…

It had been 5 hours since Kim Namwook reported the missing case. Chief Kang went to him directly after he showed the CCTV footage. They called the national security office and arranged the investigation. KCSI had been called in too. A team of elite investigators was now collecting details of the case.

Jung Soojung and Park Sookyo were with the president. Their task was to hold the Blue House safe. Kang Daehan had also assigned a higher level of security around the Blue House. All the president's schedule for that day had been cancelled.

Cha Youngjin was one of the closest people to the president after all. He was the chief of secretary. This was not a regular missing case. It could lead to high risk events including information breaches and terrorism.

It was 5 AM and Nawook felt so terrible. Definitely because of the lack of sleep and food. He just gulped the entire bottle of coffee an hour ago. Now sitting on his kitchen counter he scrolled through his phone. He had said he wanted to change his clothes and washed his face to Chief Kang a while ago.

He focused on his list of tasks for the day. His head ran through what needed to be done. Sookyo had sent him the protocol manual. Soojung was the acting chief of secretary. The press conference had been handled by his * _hoobae_.

Namwook let out a deep sigh. He lifted his head and suddenly his eyes were caught on a photo frame on his living room desk.

It was the photo they took on the last official day of Acting President Park five years ago. His eyes found him. The man was less than a year younger than him. They had argued if they should be friends or continued with the formal speech because Youngjin was obviously in the higher rank than him. In the end though, Namwook dropped the formality first and Youngjin just followed him. They still used formal speech when they talked in their working hours or when they threw sarcasm remarks to each other, but during basketball games or when they drank together they would just talk casually. They had become much closer, even though both of them would never admit it. For him, he always considered Youngjin as his friend and younger brother.

Namwook rubbed his temple. He whispered.

"Please. Please be alright. Until we find you, please hold on."

...

"Excuse me, Sir."

There was a knock on Park Mujin's master bedroom. He jolted awake. This was not the first time he was suddenly awoken in the middle of the night but he seemed to never get used to it. He looked at his phone.

_2 AM._

"Yes?" He said quietly as he got up from the bed, not wanting to wake up his wife. She stirred a bit.

"Yes?" He opened the door. One of the security guards was holding a phone. He handed it to him.

"Chief Kang, Sir." President Park frowned.

"Is there a problem?" He took the phone and closed the door behind him.

"Yes, Chief Kang?"

"Sir, I am so sorry to wake you up. There is an urgent matter, Sir."

"Yes, it's okay. What happened?"

"It looks like Chief Cha has been kidnapped, Sir."

"What?"

"Secretary Kim Namwook is with me right now, Sir. He was the first person who found it out around two hours ago. We checked and double checked. It really looked like a kidnapping. I have arranged more security in the Blue House. Please do not leave the Blue House for today, Sir. Secretary Kim has also sent the information to the Blue House Staff. Secretary Jung and Chief Park would be there shortly."

"I understand. I will get ready now. Please keep me updated."

"Understood."

President Park felt his heart thumping faster. Cha Youngjin was kidnapped? How? Why?

He handed the phone back.

_Is he alright? Is he safe? Is he.... even alive?_

Park Mujin shook his head slightly. They need to find him. They need to focus and find him, fast.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hoobae 후배 means 'junior'. It is usually related to working places or school. It is someone that entered the company or school later than you. It does not really have to be younger or have less experience than you, but they definitely entered later than you.  
> The opposite is sunbae 선배 that means senior. I believe you korean drama watchers have been at least hear this word once! :D
> 
> As always, please leave a bit of your thought in the comment! Thank you.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains torture and it is quite graphic.  
> You may also find a sign of mental disorder.
> 
> Please, you have been warned.
> 
> Enjoy!

At first, it was just a beating.

He was released from his bonds but he knew he was just a _plaything_ for them. He was clearly outnumbered. And even though he held an * _il-dan_ black belt on Taekwondo, fighting three well built men with metal pipes was a losing fight.

He managed to hit and knock them a few times but that was it. The first time he fell, they let him stand back up. The second time, he was beaten senselessly. And at some point, he was knocked out.

…

Cha Youngjin groaned.

This time, the first thing he felt was the pain. Even before he opened his eyes, the pain jolted him. He felt the tug on his shoulder again. His hands were tied, but not his feet.

He opened his eyes and scanned the room. Noone was around.

_How many hours was that?_

He saw the light from the small gap. Still daytime. He shifted a bit and gritted his teeth. Then, he checked his wounds. Nothing is broken, for now. He tried to pull himself up when the door flung open. Youngjin flinched, this time.

_How do they know I was awake?_

His heart was thumping faster again. The same three men came inside. At the moment his eyes were on them, he found it. The camera. It was near the door. They had been watching him the whole time.

_Fuck._

Youngjin cursed. He unconsciously moved back, as far as his tied hands and feet could bring him.

The first man sat on the chair. The other two got to him and forced him up on his knees.

"Boy, I want to play with you already, but he said we can only beat you up for the first day. This is so boring." The first man, who seemed like the boss from the three, spoke up.

Cha Youngjin scoffed at him. He might as well try out his plan.

"Try me." The look on the first man's face in that split second was priceless. He did not expect Youngjin would answer him, let alone with that tone. And even when his feet hit his chest, Youngjin did not regret it.

"Where did you learn how to answer back, huh?" His hair was pulled back. He let out a soft groan, but then he smirked.

"A lowly worker like you will never understand. Let me talk with your boss."

The second he finished his sentence, he was kicked hard. Then, the beating did not stop. Youngjin clenched his teeth. The last thing he remembered was his head getting slammed against the concrete wall. 

…

The next time he opened his eyes, he was tied to a chair. It was a different chair than the one he saw. His hands were bound on each arm side, his feet on the chair legs. He felt the cold concrete through his socks. He tried to pull the rope and tape around his hands, but he was too exhausted. They did not budge a bit.

"Oh! Welcome back." Youngjin lifted his head at the voice. There he is. The man with the sickening smile.

"Heh." Youngjin sneered. He must have hit his head a bit too hard that last time. How could he laugh at a time like this? He had perhaps lost his mind as well. The pain was all over his body. He felt so tired. His head hurt so much.

"Hm, did you find something funny?" That expensive man tilted his head, curious.

"He probably disobeyed your order, right? And you hit him?" Youngjin steadied his breath. He glanced at the underlings behind the man, they were clearly just beaten a bit.

"This is why I _love_ you. You are very observant indeed. Yes, they made your face bruises too much. I don't like it. You have to look pretty all the time."

Youngjin caught his breath. To be the subject of that statement made him very sick.

"They said, you want to talk to me. Also, you don't give me silent treatment anymore. I'm so happy."

This is it. This is the gamble. He had risked talking. It meant if he lost, they might get some information out of him.

"What do you want?" Youngjin asked. The man smiled wider.

"What do _I_ want? I told you what I want yesterday, right? Did you forget it?" He dragged his chair closer to him. _Too close._ He put his hands on Youngjin's neck and began to pat and caress him. His breath fastened.

"I want you _broken_ , sweetheart! I want to break you. I want to break that beautiful mind of yours. I want to own that mind. I want to _own_ you." Youngjin could not stop himself. He jerked and shuddered. He tried to pull away but that grip kept him in his place.

Suddenly all he felt was fright.

"You are here for a greater purpose. And it is to be mine."

The man stood and put his chair away. 

"Now, let's start!" He walked to the table. Now Youngjin could see all the things on it. 

_No. No. Fuck. No._

He pulled at the rope again. It began to cut and bruise his wrists. He did not care.

"Hold him." At that command his underlings surrounded him. They forced his mouth open and stuffed some fabric inside. Then they put a tape over it.

"No talking until I say so." This sick man was smiling the whole time. Youngjin's eyes caught on his hand. He now held a small knife.

"You are mine now. I should brand you."

Youngjin was terrified.

That man began cutting on his chest and arms through his shirt. Not too deep but enough to leave a stain of blood. Youngjin bit on the fabric on his mouth. He tried to keep his voice in. He grunted and groaned.

After a while, that man stopped to admire his artwork. Youngjin let out a short shaky breath.

"Now that was good for a starter."

The next thing he knew, he screamed.

A trail of blood was dripping from the chair's arm. The man had jabbed the knife through his right hand.

Youngjin doubled over as much as he could.

_It hurts. It hurts. Hurts._

The knife stuck under his palm on the wooden arm. It did not move. Youngjin's arm began to tremble.

"Ah. You had a beautiful scream too. As I expected."

Youngjin gritted his teeth. He kept his head down. The pain did not go away.

"It hurts, isn't it?" The man took the knife and pulled it out. Youngjin whimpered. Now the blood had stained his jeans too.

"You see, I've learned how to stitch a wound just for you. Let me show it." Youngjin heard the man drag his chair to him again. He smelled alcohol. Then something was poured on his hand. It made the wound burn but Youngjin was too worned out to even see it.

For the next couple of minutes, the man was working on his right hand. Youngjin drifted in and out of unconsciousness. He could not tell how long it had been. He remembered a small sting on his left arms and the emptiness welcomed him.

…

When he opened his eyes again, Youngjin was laying on the floor.

He saw the bandage on his right hand. He could not tell anymore which one hurt most. He pulled his left arm closer and curled to himself.

_Please. Please. You need to hold on. They are coming to save you. You need to hold on._

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *il-dan 일단 (means 'first level') is a level in black belt Taekwondo. When you got a black belt in Taekwondo, it does not mean you are a master. There are another levels of black belt that should be passed to become a master. So Youngjin here just has the first level in black belt. He is not a master level. 
> 
> P.S. So in my AU here, all the blue house personnel should acquire at least a certain degree of marksmanship or martial arts (except the security department which, of course, requires all the staff to be on the higher level). They don't have to be on the advanced level, but at least they need to be able to protect themselves and the president if ever needed. (I don't know if this applies on the real life situation too)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took longer this time. I've been busy with work irl xD  
> Anyway, the torture becomes more violent.  
> Please be aware!  
> This is not beta'd, all mistakes are mine.
> 
> Without further do,  
> Enjoy~

Namwook slammed the table. These motherfuckers even had a face to say something like that.

"A man's life is on the line right now, and what? Conspiracy? Did you even hear yourself when you said that?"

He was in the meeting with the State Council and one of the members had talked about how all of this can be just a conspiracy by Cha Youngjin himself. He knew President Park was glaring at him but fuck this! They proposed an idea that Cha Youngjin had conspired against the President he chose and dedicated himself to. How  _ ridiculous _ was that? 

"Chief Kang, please escort Secretary Kim out of the room." President Park was still looking at him when he called Chief Kang Daehan. He too, was still glaring at the council member until Chief Kang touched his arm.

He bowed to the President and left.

…

"Fuck!" Namwook cursed in a thick North Korean accent.

He was now in the basketball court behind the secretariat building. He was not mad because he got kicked out of the meeting. He knew he would be called in by the President later and probably got in trouble. But that theory just now, he would never allow it to even exist. And that sent him over the edge.

One thing that frustrated him the most was the fact that the investigation team was basically going nowhere. They had realized this could not be just a random kidnapping, like one of the possibilities they had in the beginning. This had been planned well.  _ Too _ well. 

How could they still get nothing? They could not even track the fake taxi that was believed to be the accomplice. Fake plate, blind spot route without cctv, and the faces that were covered completely from the camera.

Namwook knew,  _ they all _ knew that the golden hours were ticking fast. They needed to find a lead. Something.  _ Anything _ .

"Shit!" He cursed again, quietly.

_ We need to find him. We need to find him. We need to find him. _

…

"There are," President Park began, as Chief Kang closed the door behind him.

"..possibilities." He got up from his seat and looked around.

"We all know that. Secretary Kim  _ knows _ that. But as I state over and over again, I won't take opinions as answers. The fact that we still cannot find anything may lead us to some acts of terrorism and such. And for that, I will need the strength from all of us. We will not take chances or opinions. We will believe in facts and truths."

"And now I want all of you to focus on those and find everything that may lead us to find Cha Youngjin."

President Park closed the file folder on the table and the council members began to leave the room. Once the room was cleared, Jung Soojung walked to him.

" _ Dae tong ryeong-nim* _ , I know Secretary Kim was wrong by doing that in the meeting. But please don't be too hard on him. He takes it harder than anyone else."

"I know, Secretary Jung." President Park gave her a little smile. Secretary Jung smiled back and bowed to him before walking out of the room.

…

Youngjin was awoken by cold water dumped on him. He gasped and jerked away.

He was sitting on the chair again, this time drenched in water. His hands were tied behind the chair through the gaps. He felt the sting from the cut on his chest and hands.

"Is it refreshing? It's been awhile since you drink water too, isn't it?" Youngjin shuddered unconsciously. That man was sitting in front of him again.

"Wanna play with water today?" At that, Youngjin's eyes landed on the bucket of water beside the table. It was big enough for a grown man to sit inside. His eyes widened in horror.

_ No. No. No. No. _

That man gave a nod. A second later Youngjin felt something was put on his neck. His head was pulled backward by that collar. It was choking him. Then he felt the tug on his wrists too. The collar was connected to his hands. He would cut his own airway if he pulled his hands too hard.

"Let's begin."

The other men forced his mouth open and shoved some cloth in. They put a blindfold over his eyes. Youngjin tried to keep his breathing. He knew what was coming and that horror slowly ate him alive. The last thing he felt was a fabric covering his entire head.

Youngjin was a good swimmer. He once entered a swimming competition when he was still in the orphanage. He knew he was good in water. But there was a time when he got cramps on his foot while he swam. That was the first and last time he felt drowning.

He jerked as they poured water on his face.

Few seconds later, he could not feel anything else. Youngjin panicked. He could not breathe. He pulled on his hands and trashed around. He could not think anymore. His lungs were burning.

Just as he felt he would pass out, the fabric was removed. Youngjin took a shallow and quick breath. He could not control his breathing.

"Again." He heard. Then the fabric came back and the water hit his face again. His cry was muffled by the gag in his mouth. He yanked on his hands.

_ No. No. No. Please. Please. No. No. _

It felt like forever until the fabric was removed for the second time.

"How was it?" A hand slid on his cheek and patted him softly. Youngjin whimpered. His whole body was shaking violently.

"Again."

Youngjin screamed. He felt the water through the fabric again. He clenched the wound in his hand open. The blood dripped on the floor.

_ Can't breath. Can't breath. Can't breath. _

His body started to go limp when they pulled the fabric away.

The cloth in his mouth was removed. He felt the tug on his neck was released. He threw up the water and doubled over, coughing terribly.

"Did you get enough water?" A hand pulled his head up. 

"Please…." He cried in between his cough.

"..please… don't… please…"

"Oh, I love it when you beg me like this." That hand grabbed on his hair.

"Beg me  _ more _ ." Youngjin heard the whisper and a moment later he was dragged away, pulling the chair with him.

His head was dumped under water.

Youngjin panicked. He kicked and trashed around but the hands keeping him in place were stronger than his tired body.

His head was pulled up for a moment and was forced under again.

It did not stop.

He was allowed to take just a breath before his head was pinned under water for a few times.

"Beg  _ me _ ." Youngjin heard the whisper again when he was pulled up. He was too exhausted. He wanted the pain to stop.

"..please…"

_ Please. Please. Please. Stop it. Please. _

"..please… stop it…" He cried weakly.

The grip on his hair was gone and he fell to the ground. 

"Oh! I  _ love _ it! I  _ love _ how you beg me over and over."

Youngjin heard a laugh. A  _ very _ frightening laugh.

"You've been a very good boy today. We will play again later."

He felt his hands were freed from the chair. A few moments later, he heard the door closed.

He was still shaking. His breath was still shallow and short. He did not even bother to remove his blindfold and just lay there unmoving.

_ Please. _

The exhaustion took over and Youngjin closed his eyes.

_Save me._

…

Kim Namwook closed the door behind him. He had just finished talking with the president. Well, more talking on the president's side and more listening on his side. But talking with Park Mujin was always a delight to him. Today was not exceptional either. He felt comforted by his words. He knew he was never a big talker, so Namwook would always believe in him. 

They would do everything in their power to find him, he said. Namwook believed him. 

"Hello?" He answered his phone.

"Sir, they found a blackbox footage from the car that was park across the road that night. We have sent it to forensic to be examined. Hopefully there will be a helpful clue on it."

"Understood. I will be there shortly."

_ We're getting there. Please, just a bit longer. Please. _

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dae tong ryeong-nim* (대통령님) is basically means Mr. President.  
> -nim (-님) will always be added after a name or status when people want call someone in the higher social status or when they give high respect to that person.


End file.
